Setting science in context

10 December 2011

Working with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) we analysed observations and evaluated the impacts of climate change on different countries around the world for the United Nations annual conference of the parties (COP) held in Durban, South Africa earlier this month.

Preparing the reports drew on experience across the Met Office Hadley Centre, looking at historic changes in regional climate extremes and future change in global and regional climate change and impacts.

The work required extensive international engagement as stakeholders from the various countries contributed to the scientific reports. Observational data was supplied by some of the countries while scientific experts provided input to the study of impacts and helped to review the reports.

Closer to home, the work involved collaborating with the Walker Institute for Climate Change Research to look at the potential effects of climate change on impacts such as water availability, crops and flooding, and with the University of Southampton on coastal impacts.

Following COP, a series of factsheets based on these reports will help to communicate the results more widely. The novel scientific findings from the study will also be published in scientific journals.